


Celeste

by Philomela



Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton, Greek and Roman Mythology, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-12
Updated: 2012-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-31 00:59:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/338159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philomela/pseuds/Philomela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Away from the Dursley’s influence, Harry is allowed to blossom into a unique young man. With the gods at his back, and the sisters at his side, St. Louis will never be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Six-year-old Harry Potter glared up at Number Four Privet Drive. He was an adorable little child - as all small children tend to be -  and the glare came across as more of a pout. The boy was short for his age and  with his rather long hair, he could easily be mistaken for a little girl. He had smooth,  rather pale skin - as if he barely allowed the sun to touch it - and a heart shaped face with a small button nose and pouty pink lips. His  black hair  tickled his chin and his long fringe kept falling into a pair of large green eyes no matter how many times he pushed it away.

From all appearances, little Harry Potter came across as a normal child, no different than the others found on Privet Drive; luckily, he was spared that mundane life, for he was no ordinary boy.  No, he was a wizard, born to two wizards, but - for some reason - left to be raised by a family of magic-fearing muggles. To date, the Dursley’s had attempted five exorcisms - one on each of his birthdays - all of which had failed, as any wizard could have told them it would. Harry had never understood why the nice Priest, from the church the Dursley’s frequented as any god-fearing family would, liked to show up on his birthday just to splash him with some water and read to him. Had the priest not thought him clean enough? If that was the case, those splashes of water wouldn’t have been enough to get him clean, they just dampened his clothing. Of course, the most important question was, why did the Priest like to read to him so much, and the same thing every time! Harry probably had the passages memorized at this point. A cold breeze passed by, pulling Harry away from his thoughts and making his skin break out into goose bumps as his inadequately clothed body became wracked with violent shivers. Dudley’s castoffs  were too big for his slender frame - the shirt hung more like a dress and the pants were pooled at his feet; the material of the shirt was worn thin and the jeans fostered a multitude of rips and holes that negated its purpose as protection from the elements.  Unable to  bear the discomfort of the cold weather, Harry fervently wished and prayed, to whomever could hear his pleas, for either the cold to go away or for his rags to be replaced with clothing better equipped to handle the weather.

It took some time for Harry to process that he was now comfortably warm and no longer on the verge of freezing to death; letting out a happy sigh, he looked himself over, shocked to find that he was no longer wearing Dudley’s rags. Instead, he was bundled up in thick pants and a wool sweater, his feet covered with a pair of thick socks and a pair of boots - hole free! - and his hands encased in a pair of gloves. Even better, Harry found that his stuffed penguin had somehow managed to find its way into his hands. Turning his face skyward, he smiled and softly whispered his thanks, hoping whomever had helped him would be able to hear his gratitude.

While “living” - could he really say that he lived with them? It was more like they put up with his presence and begrudgingly set up a symbiotic relationship -with the Dursley’s, Harry was able to keep two prized possession:  a stuffed penguin, that was beginning to show signs of wear and tear, and a silver necklace with four pendants - a stag, grim, wolf and lily.  They were the only  things he still had from his time with his parents and he would rather kill himself before allowing the Dursley’s to take them away from him.

For six years, Harry James Potter had put up with the neglect from his so called relatives, and for some reason, today of all days he no longer wanted to put up with them. Maybe it was the weight of the pendants, or the presence of the penguin, but his heart was longing for the warmth of affection and acceptance of family. He didn’t think his young heart could take any more disappointments. 

This was it; his mind was made and nothing short of divine intervention would change it.  Today, little Harry Potter would run away. 

_I want to be far way from here. I want to be somewhere where I can fit in; somewhere where I can be accepted and loved._

A soft breeze flew by - decidedly warmer than the previous on that had plagued Harry - tossing  fallen leaves around before settling down around upon reaching house number four on Privet Drive. 

The light of the moon highlighted the doorstep of this cookie cutter house; where previously a little boy of six years could be found contemplating his escape, there was now nothing but the plotted plants whose presence was a constant since the boy had first arrived. 

Harry James Potter was nowhere to be found.


	2. Part 1

Harry tightly clenched his eyes as his stomach threatened to expel whatever lurked there; just moments before, he had experienced the rather horrifying feeling of being sucked through a small tube. His head felt light, - like the time when he had shot up from bed because Aunt Petunia was yelling at him to get up and make breakfast . 

He took a couple of deep breaths, hoping to calm his stomach; said organ seemed to have received the order, as within a couple of minutes, it settled down. Tentatively, he opened his eyes and allowed his body to re-establish equilibrium. Once the dizzying feeling passed, Harry took the time to examine his surroundings. 

To his surprise - and happy relief - he was no longer standing on the doorstep of Number Four Privet Drive, but was in some forest. Even the feeling of rain drops falling on his face couldn’t dampen his euphoria. 

Harry didn’t spare a thought as to _how_ this could have been possible - he had already transported himself up a tree during a round of Harry Hunting, not to mention when he had somehow pushed a strange man away from him with some sort of invisible barrier. No, Harry didn’t care one whit as to how he had arrived in the middle of a forest that, to the best of his knowledge, was located nowhere near Surrey; he was just glad that he had successfully escaped those horrid people that he no longer had to call family.  

He was yanked from said happiness as his face began to go numb from the cold of the rain; with a small bit of panic, Harry realized that the rain was started to pick up. He had to find some sort of shelter, and quick, before the rain got too heavy. 

With some panic, Harry whirled around, trying to glean some sort of hint as to where shelter could be found, but no matter where he turned, everything looked the same. As the sky darkened, the beauty of the proud trees began to morph and he swore that the trees were beginning to loom over him in a threatening manner. The terror of finding himself in an unknown location, in the middle of the night during a downpour, began to settle in. Tears began to well up as hopelessness overwhelmed his young mind. 

A rustling sound had Harry whirling around in panic. What if a wolf was coming to eat him? Harry couldn’t protect himself against a wolf, he was just six! It’s not as if the wolf would take one look at his stuffed penguin, which was currently getting drenched, and would be scared away. With thoughts of being eaten alive flying through his mind, he turned to face the direction from which the sound had come from. What he found was not a hungry wolf ready to pounce on him, but a path that had not been there before. Two trees had curved outward, revealing a path that, conveniently led to a cave that could offer him the shelter he needed. Harry eyed the trees with suspicion as he slowly made his way to the entrance of the path. With one last look at the trees, he stepped through the makeshift passage and began his trek to the cave. 

Another rustling sound had him whirling back around, thoughts of hungry wolves still running through his mind. 

The trees were no longer revealing a path; they had closed ranks and prevented Harry from going pack. The seemingly sentinent trees had Harry running to the cave in fear. 

Even fear, though, could not override Harry’s instincts of self-preservation. He came to a stop in front of the entrance and cautiously peered inside, preparing himself to be met with the sight of a pack of hungry wolves. To his pleasant surprise, the cave was not occupied by a group of blood thirsty animals ready to eat him. 

Instead,  the cave was lined with warm animal furs, with a  large supply of fruits and berries in the back of the cave; a warm fire was even crackling in the middle of this cave turned room.With a healthy amount of suspicion, Harry carefully made his way to one of the furs placed around the fire and gently sat down. Before making himself comfortable, he quickly looked around the cave, trying to see if there were any animals hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce. 

To his satisfaction, there were no shadowy corners to be found - and therefore no animals lay in waiting - as the light cast by the fire was strong enough to illuminate the whole cave. 

Content with his inspection, Harry began to remove his boots, socks, and gloves and stretching himself out before the fire, allowing the warmth to seep into his tired frame. Cradled within the softness of the fur and the warmth of the fire, Harry curled around his stuffed penguin and allowed his eyes to close as he submitted to Morpheus’ embrace. 

As his mind was otherwise occupied by the innocent dreams of a young child, three forms began to materialize within the cave. The vague blobs of light began to sharpen and take on the forms of three rather beautiful women. Once fully materialized, they began to stretch and shake their dozing limbs - this would be the first time in a while that these three had assumed a human form.  

“Oh, look at him, sisters. Isn’t he the most precious thing you’ve ever seen? A sight more pleasant than that vain Aphrodite. ”  The sister in the middle commented.

“Amour, you  should refrain from making such comments. We all know  what lengths a jealous Aphrodite can go to,  and yet you dare say utter that aloud, when she could hear.” Amour looked back at the sister on her left with a defiant expression.

“Vérité, you should know that Zeus wouldn’t allow any harm to come to us, especially  for such a silly reason. We are above even the gods; they fear and treasure us, and wouldn’t dare to lay a finger on us,” the sister to the right of Amour told the other two, trying to keep the peace.

“Paix, talk some sense into her.  You know that it wouldn’t keep her from trying. Her vanity knows no bounds; why she’s worse than Narcissus! ” Vérité snorted as she talked of the goddess of love.

“Oh, but sisters, I’m sure Aphrodite would not mind my commenting on the beauty of another immortal creature. Once we take him under our wing, she would not dare harm him in fear of our retribution ” Paix and Vérité looked shocked.

“Amour, have you been peeking into his future?” Vérité asked suspiciously. The sisters knew that she had to have looked, there was no other way she would have had that knowledge;  Amour merely confirmed their suspicions when her cheeks became stained with a glowing pink blush. 

“I suppose what is done is done. She has already seen, and there is nothing we can do to erase that knowledge.” Paix sighed out. “So it has been decided,” Vérité agreed reluctantly. “Amour, if he is to succeed us, he first has to reach his majority. To ensure this, we are charging you with his safety. Amour, you shall be the guardian to the being know henceforth as Céleste.” 

Unaware to the slumbering child in question, a soft glow engulfed his body synchronously with Amour. As the glow subsided, the sisters turned to the youngest with a stern expression painted over their features. 

“I trust that you will take this seriously. Under no circumstance will you meddle with his future. You shall allow it to pass as it should. Knowingly meddling will result in a serious repercussion, but you already know that. “ 

Amour, with a suitably serious expression, nodded in agreement to the terms presented. Then, in a split second, an excited expression chased the previous away and she gave into the urge to pounce on her elder sisters in her variation of a hug.  

Just like that, without his knowledge - or consent - Harry James Potter was assigned a guardian in the youngest of the three seers; this action would negate any future attempts that he may or may not make at leading a relatively normal life. 

For he had been marked the minute the sisters had taken a passing interest in him and the gods could never overlook a mortal special enough to gain their interest.

*

Two months had passed since Harry’s escape from the Dursley’s and he had felt nothing but happiness since. He had a comfortable cave, with a stock of self-replenishing fruit and a plethora of soft furs. Life was good and it didn’t seem as if it would get worse any time soon. 

“Stupid humans! Who do they think they are? Chasing me out of my nest, and stealing my eggs. I swear I will bite the next one that I come across!”

Looks like he spoke too soon. Harry’s eyes widened in fright as he heard a voice cursing from behind a bush some yards away from him. Last time he checked, he was human, and if whomever that voice belonged to came across him, it was more than likely that Harry would be going home with some bite marks. 

Cautiously, Harry began to back away from the now rustling bush, but was too late. A rather large snake slithered out from the foliage and paused as it stared right at him. Quicker than he could blink, the snake had somehow shot across the distance separating them and was now curled around his arm, it’s open mouth poised over his jugular. 

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have you for lunch.”

Harry stared down at the snake, fear apparent in his eyes and scent. 

 ”P-please don’t eat me. I didn’t do anything, was just walking.” Green eyes watched carefully as the snake backed away from his throat, and instead, placed its head on his shoulder. 

“Humph. As if I would attack a speaker. They’re the only intelligent lot left on the planet.” Harry let out a breath when it seemed that he would live to see another day; unfortunately, curiosity had tied up his self-preservation as he voiced his question. 

“Speaker? Doesn’t everyone speak?” The snake looked up at him with an expression that voiced that it was less than impressed with his intelligence. 

“Of course not everyone is a speaker! Only the intelligent ones have the ability to converse with us. The rest of the idiots only hear hissing. You hear words, and so you are a speaker.” With that established, the snake closed its eyes and prepared itself for a nap. 

“I’m speaking snake?”

“Yes. Now shut up, I’m trying to take a nap.”

*

He had finally done it, he had gone out into town and - with the help of a pretty lady - had gone into a bakery.

“What is your name, little one?” the lady asked, as she watched Harry struggle to climb onto the stool.

“Harry!” He gasped out as he fell down. He crossed his arms and pouted as he eyed the stool. The lady chuckled in amusement as she bent down and picked him up, placing him on the too-tall-stool.

“Oh. I thought you would have more of a pretty name. Not that Harry is a bad one.” the lady said, eyeing him with her grey eyes.

“What’s your name?” Harry asked looking up at her curiously through his long bangs.

“Amour.” She giggled as she watched Harry try to blow his bangs out of his face.

“That’s really pretty, it fits.”

Amour smiled, the action brightening up her whole face, her mist-colored eyes sparkling in glee.

“Well, I think you’re the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen!” She said tapping his nose and laughing as he went cross-eyed.

*

Since that day four weeks earlier when Harry had met Amour, the six-year-old had met up with her every day outside of the bakery. They would then go inside to get their usual order of tea and croissant; then they would share a cheesecake while talking about inconsequential things like the weather or their favorite things. 

Harry had gotten to know Amour better and the same held true for Amour who was delighted at the prospect of getting to know her Céleste, as she called him, better.

Sometimes the duo would be joined by the owner of the café, Gabriel LeNoire. He was a handsome young man, with an oval face, long golden blonde hair and a pair of eyes with the lightest shade of blue that Harry had ever seen. The first time Harry had seen him, he had asked Amour if he was an angel. 

Amour’s name for him, Céleste had soon stuck with him and, though he would never admit it, - he would pout, saying it sounded like a girl’s name - Harry liked the name better than his own. 

Today, Gabriel had something important to ask Harry, and the little boy didn’t want to be late. As soon as he walked up to the shop, he grabbed Amour by the hand and dragged her inside.

“Slow down, Céleste. Gabriel isn’t going anywhere.” She couldn’t help but laugh as she was pulled through the café to their usual table by the windows.

“I know, but I don’t want to keep Gabriel waiting. He said he had to ask me something really important, and I really want to hear it.”

As the pair sat down in their seats, Gabriel appeared in front of them, holding some papers with a nervous smile on his face.

“Céleste, I know we haven’t known each other for that long, but I have a request to ask of you.” He looked into the large emerald orbs of the child and couldn’t help but wonder if the boy would say no.

“I was wondering… if you’d allow me to adopt you.”

Harry stared up at him, wide-eyed and silent with shock. “Y-you want to… adopt me?”

Gabriel nodded, a nervous look in his eyes as he looked at Céleste.

“Of course!” Harry flung himself against the older man, wrapping his arms and legs around his body. Gabriel caught him in shock, laughing as he held the smaller body closer to himself. Amour just watched them with a satisfied look in her eyes.

*

“Hey Céleste, can you spare a moment for me?”

Gabriel walked into the library to find Céleste curled up in an armchair by the fireplace, a History of Magic book in hand. He saw the distracted nod of his head and grinned, seating himself on the armchair directly across from him. He waited patiently for Céleste to finish the page, watching as his patience paid off as mere seconds after seating himself, the boy marked his place with the ribbon-bookmark and placed the large tome on the side table. When his verdant eyes were trained on Gabriel and the elder was sure that he had the child’s complete focus and attention, he began to talk. 

“So, we know that I am a wizard, right?” Gabriel started.

“Well, if I didn’t, I’m sure these magic books would clue me in.” Oh the sass! Where did this child get it from?

“Great! I just wanted to establish the facts before moving on. Have you ever done something, or had something happen, that you couldn’t explain?”

“Well, there was this time when my cousin was chasing me, and I was starting to get tired, so I somehow ended up on a branch on this really tall tree. Then there was this time when I was cornered by some strange guy and somehow, this invisible barrier popped up between us. Then there was the time when I had a conversation with a snake. And, oh, let’s not forget the time when I went from Surrey to Paris in a couple of minutes!” Gabriel had expected as such, though some of his feats were a bit more than he had been expecting in terms of magical strength. 

“Apparition - what you did when you went from Surrey to Paris, that’s what it is called.”

“So, what you came here to say is that,” Céleste trailed off, not wanting to get his hopes up too much. 

” I think it’s safe to say that you are a wizard, like me.” Gabriel couldn’t contain the smile as he saw the excited look on Céleste’s face.

“That means you’ll teach me how to do magic, right?” He asked, leaning forward in the plush chair.

“Of course!”

“With wands?” 

“Nope.”

“What? Then how am I supposed to do magic? It says in one of those really heavy books that we need a wand to do magic.” Gabriel took a moment to compose himself, so that he wouldn’t offend Céleste with his laughter; the boys cheeks were puffed out in irritation, doing a good impersonation of a chipmunk. 

“I’ll be teaching you wandless magic, it’s much more convenient. Besides, that way we won’t have to actually buy a wand.” Gabriel blushed at the look Céleste wore; it clearly screamed “Penny Pincher!”

“Wandless magic,  that’s like, magic without a wand, right?” Gabriel gave him a “No, duh” look, that made his face heat up with embarrassment. Sometimes Gabriel was astounded at the things Céleste would say; sometimes the statements would be profound, other times they would be like the current example. 

‘ _You can’t be a genius all the time_ ,’ He sighed. 

Gabriel poked a warm, red cheek, causing the child to swat at his hand. 

“I think I may have done wandless magic. Um, there was that one time when I changed my clothes.” Céleste was obviously trying to take attention off of his burning face, though he did present a good point.  

“Generally, wandless transfiguration is the hardest branch to perform without a wand, but it was probably easier because of accidental magic. Hm, you haven’t been trained with a wand yet, and you were probably distressed or something, right? When your emotions get really high, like that, then your magic tends to gain an edge it didn’t have before, and allow you to do things that you wouldn’t be able to recreate in a stable mindset. Then again, your apparation trick shows that you must have a large magical core. That’s not standard accidental magic. I don’t quite know yet, but I think you will be able to do wandless magic. I suppose we will just have to see how things  go, and if it turns out that you need a wand, well, then I’ll just have to take you to get one.”

Céleste, after that spiel, really hoped that he could do wandless magic. Gabriel had looked so excited at the thought that he might be capable of it, and he really didn’t want to disappoint his father. 

“Um,  when do we start?”

“Hmm…  there’s really no reason to delay this any further. It already took me this long just to tell you that you’re a wizard. I suppose we can start tomorrow afternoon, right after the morning rush.”

“Aw, do we really have to wait so long?” Céleste whined. Gabriel gave him an amused look that had the child closing his mouth, a blush gracing his cheeks yet again. 

Gabriel didn’t think he’d ever tire of seeing his child with a blush staining his cheeks; he was just too cute like that!

*

“So Céleste, ready to meet my older sisters?” Amour looked down at the eleven-year-old with a small level of nervousness - what if he didn’t like them? - which was returned with a bright smile.

“Of course! I’d love to know who my pseudo-sister’s sisters are!”

Amour chuckled, relieved, leading their oblivious apprentice into the room that held Paix and Vérité. When they entered, Paix was seated in an armchair, gently flipping through the pages of a potions journal; Vérité was lounging on a divan, her head propped up on her hand as she lazily watched Paix with an incredulous expression - it showed that she couldn’t believe what a bookworm the other was. 

“Paix, Vérité, this is Céleste,” Amour announced as she led the boy to a sofa where they sat down next to each other, one of Amour’s arms wrapped around his waist, helping him relax.

“Hello.” The eldest sister’s eyes softened at the sight - Céleste curled up against Amour’s side, her arm a comfortable weight around his midsection.

“It’s nice to meet you, little one,” Paix said, offering him a warm smile, her voice soft and containing a musical lilt.

“Nice to make your acquaintance,” Vérité rattled off absent mindedly. “Has Amour filled you in on your position, or has she left that up to us?” Her suspicions was confirmed when Céleste cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“I wanted all of us to be present when he is told,” Amour said, in defense of her actions - or inaction as it was.

“Well, kid, make yourself comfortable.”

The three sisters then proceeded to launch into a speedy - and highly condensed - outline of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and their affinities; the sisters then launched into a more in depth look at the Fates, three sisters, touching upon anything of importance that Céleste would need to know. 

“The reason for that little story time is because, Céleste, we are those sisters.” Vérité informed him. 

“Well, not really. We are the successors of the successors of the successors, etc, of those sisters.” Paix corrected. 

Emerald orbs widened as they stared up at the sisters in shock. He wanted to get away from these psychos and seek Gabriel for some normalcy, but something within him tempered that instinct. It told him to stop over reacting and to think for a moment. He had found out that Gabriel was a wizard; he had found out that he was a wizard; he had somehow transported himself from Surrey, England to Paris, France in under five minutes; if magic was real, why couldn’t these Greek Gods be as well? 

“Because of past experiences where fairy tales have come true, there’s no reason not to believe you. Um, just promise me that this isn’t a joke and that you won’t laugh as soon as I stop talking, which. Should. Be now…” Céleste trailed off, tightly clenching his eyes and waiting for the laughter to start as the sisters inform him that this was all a joke and that they can’t believe how gullible he is. 

Instead of the expected laughter, he heard Vérité turn to Amour and say, “Well, it looks like he has a good head on his shoulder. Other kids would have run out of here to go seek their guardians, all the while screaming ‘Stranger Danger!’ because it’s obvious that we would have followed that statement up with a ‘You are our apprentice, young grasshopper. And as such, we will have to remove you from your home and take you up to a remote location, that no one can know about, to train you.’”

Finding it safe to open his eyes, he turned to look at the two sisters. 

“So what are you trying to say about him, Verte?” Paix questioned as she carded her fingers through Céleste’s hair.  

“I can’t decide whether to smack him upside the head for not having enough sense to go through the ‘Stranger Danger’ scenario, or to be proud that he believed us.” 

Sensing that his character was being criticized, Céleste scrounged up enough courage to talk to the, admittedly, more intimidating of the three sisters. 

“If it’s any consolation, my first reaction  _was_  to run to Gabriel and tell him that there were a bunch of crazy ladies in the library.” Vérité did look a bit pleased at that news. 

“So why didn’t you go through with that?” Paix questioned. 

“My instincts told me that after everything I’ve been through, finding out that Greek Mythology is true just, kind of, fits. Y’know?”

“Oh Céleste,” Amour sighed. “How did you get so mature being around Gabriel?” That served to lighten the atmosphere as everyone laughed, thinking of the little one’s guardian. 

“I suppose  _that_  is the true mystery of the universe.” Céleste answered, giggling - though he would never admit to it, even under the threat of torture. 

“Anyway, as wonderful as it is to see everyone laughing, we’re not done with the great unveiling.” Vérité cut in, gaining everyone’s attention. 

“Oh Merlin, there’s more?” Céleste honestly didn’t know if he could handle any more. 

“So you know how, when I was questioning your intelligence, I outlined the ‘Stranger Danger’ scenario and mentioned whisking you away to some isolated place to train you as our apprentice. That wasn’t just part of the scenario. We really will, at some point, whisk you away to some isolated place to train you, because you  _are_  our apprentice.” 

The silence in the room was strangely loud, though that could be attributed Céleste’s quickened heart beat and the sound of rushing blood filling his ears as he contemplated whether it was too late to run and find Gabriel. 

“Yes, it is a bit late to run away.” Vérité answered the unspoken question, a rather unfriendly smile accompanying the words. 

“If I politely decline the offer that you never really made,” Céleste began, the words voiced reluctantly.

“We would have to, regrettably, inform you that we never really made the offer, because you never really had a choice.” Vérité finished, her voice dripping with faux regret as her face had a mask of innocence accompanied with wide eyes. 

Céleste gaped at the middle sister with shock, before turning to the eldest and youngest sisters.  

“Are you sure that she’s not the devil in disguise?”

Sharing a look, they replied in tandem, “Oh no, she’s _much_  worse than Hades.”

*

Céleste stumbled into the kitchen and plopped himself down on a chair at the table.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the exhausted and harried twelve-year-old.

“It couldn’t have been that bad.” Céleste looked at him incredulously.

“It could, and it was!”

“I thought they were giving you a history lesson - you know, gossiping about the guys that inhabit Mt. Olympus.  How painful can that be?”

“Well, we did start out with a relaxing gossip session, but then halfway through when we were talking about Aphrodite’s flexibility, they just stopped. Next thing I know, they were trying to making my body bend in ways that I didn’t know it could. “

“Did they say why?”

“No, not that I’m surprised. They never tell me why I do half the things that I’m made to do. Remember that time when we were outside and talking about Artemis and they suddenly forced me to climb a freakishly tall tree?” Gabriel nodded, stifling a smile as he recalled the only lesson he had ever sat in on. “I still have no idea why they made me do that! Every time I find enough courage to ask, Vérité just smiles at me in that creepy way of hers and then,  and then I don’t really want to know why anymore. I just want to get as far away from her as possible.”  

Gabriel shook his head in sympathy; his kid never asked to be an apprentice, he never even agreed because he wasn’t ever asked. That she-devil just dumped the news on him and then told him that he had no choice. If Gabriel wasn’t so terrified of the middle sister, he would have given her a piece of his mind months ago, when she first began these lessons.

‘I should have grabbed the kid and made a run for it when I had the chance.’ The sisters had given Céleste and Gabriel a year to settle in and get used to their presence before beginning the lessons; something about needing to establish a level of trust before beginning the apprenticeship.

Pulling his mind away from the dangerous world of “Maybe’s  and What-if’s”, Gabriel grabbed Céleste around the middle and hauled the child up and on top of the island in the center of the kitchen.

“You know what would make you feel better?” Gabriel asked, as he carded his fingers through Céleste’s unruly hair, his thumb brushing across the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

“What?” ‘This kid is just too cute when he sulks; like a five-year-old, he is.’

“Helping me bake some of those chocolate drizzled shortbread cookies - in the shape of a heart.” Céleste graced him with an unimpressed look.

“You just put off the order until the last minute, and now you’re roping me in to help you because the order’s too big for you to do by yourself.” ‘Merde! He just knows me too well!’

“Let’s say, for a minute, that what you just said was true. Would you help me?” Céleste wanted to torture his father for a bit, and so he contemplated the question for longer than was required. When it looked like Gabriel was going to crack and actually beg, Céleste nodded.

With a relieved sigh, Gabriel rewarded him with a bright smile before handing him a bowl of dough to knead.

They worked in companionable silence for some time, making a headway into the rather large order that Gabriel had put off until then.

“Hey Gabriel, can you go over there and,” Céleste looked up at his adoptive father with a mixture of shock and horror. He had always known that his habit of talking with his hands would get him in trouble one day, and it looked like that day had finally arrived.

“Céleste - my lovely child, my son from another sperm - did you just flick flour at me?” The grin stretched across Gabriel’s face was rather horrifying, promising retribution if he did not proceed carefully.

Unfortunately, it seemed like this day was one of those days - when an inexplicable jolt of mischievousness overcomes his common sense.

“Hm, maybe I did… and maybe I didn’t.” It seemed that Gabriel needed to get that tick checked out, it just wasn’t natural.

Grabbing the bowl of flour, Gabriel unceremoniously dumped the contents over his son’s head.

“Well, maybe I just dumped a shit-load of flour on top of you, and maybe you just imagined it.”

It seemed that Gabriel’s action was the turning point because from there, it all just broke down. Instead of focusing their time and attention on fulfilling an order that was to be picked up the following morning - a monumental task that had already been procrastinated to the point of stupidity - father and son proceeded to stage a food war. The island marked the end of one territory and the beginning of the other; it was the only neutral area in the whole room, though that did not prevent it from becoming a casualty of war as it was bombarded with an arsenal of badly aimed cooking ingredients.

If it wasn’t for the trio of renegade’s that had come to interrupt, this war would have raged on until either side found themselves lacking ammo.

“Just what is going on here?” Amour was shocked, though she knew that she shouldn’t have been - being as intimately acquainted with the personalities of the two feuding factions as she was.

“Isn’t it obvious, little sister. The two monkeys have finally decided to reveal to us what utter idiots they really are.” Vérité chimed in, an unimpressed look adopted on her face as she gazed from father to son.

“You really need to get your priorities straight.” Paix shook her head in shame at this example of poor time management skills.

“Seriously though, could someone explain to me how an all out war was staged within the half-hour between the end of Céleste’s lesson and our coming here to get a snack?”


End file.
